Statement from Grenadian Ambassador to China Abbie David
I’d like to speak on the situation first hand from China. Some cities, such as Wuhan, are under full lockdown because of the scale of the outbreak in that location
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Grenada’s Ambassador to China, Abbie DavidGood day, and I am glad to address you all.
First, I would like to say thank you to everyone who has sent prayers to myself and all the Grenadian nationals in China, especially those in Wuhan. Your prayers for us have been working, because I am glad to say that we are all in good health at the moment.
Now, I’d like to speak on the situation first hand from China. Some cities, such as Wuhan, are under full lockdown because of the scale of the outbreak in that location.
The point of the lockdown is to slow and eventually stop the transmission of the virus. The hope is that if people don’t come in contact with each other, or if they don’t go out and touch a germ infested surface, they won’t contract it.
A consequence of this is that residents cannot leave their domicile, creating a challenge in carrying out every days tasks; so for example, residents in Wuhan must have everything delivered to them, including food and water, and some supplies are a bit more difficult to procure.
Even here in Beijing, there is a partial city lockdown, which encourages residents to stay indoors and forbids public gathering, among other measures.
While the lockdown is a challenge and something many are not accustomed to, it is in place for safety measures.
Regarding students in Wuhan, I am happy to report that they are all in good health though some struggle to navigate lockdown measures. But luckily, none have contracted the virus. Funds are being disbursed from the Embassy to each student in Wuhan in need on a reoccurring basis to help with additional fees they may incur. Students also continue to receive their monthly stipend from school as part of their scholarship.
I am also in direct contact with many of the universities in Wuhan to ensure that students are given the necessary attention, receive meals, water, and groceries for those with restrictive diets. They also have direct hotline numbers if there is an emergency.
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Their classes have resumed, but in the online form, so students remain in isolation, but do not fall behind for the term. Some universities are also providing additional classes to keep students occupied at this time.
As for the rest of the students in China, many universities are on lockdown, keeping students inside in order to ensure they do not contract the virus, and spread it to other students.
If any student in China has any difficulty around this time, they are able to work with their university or contact me, and I work with them, their university or any entities to help with their issues. While there is some uncertainty around when the spread of this virus will end, and when we will resume normal life, we have seen some positive signs. According to health officials, as of last week, the virus has been largely contained. The number of new infections, as well as deaths has drastically decreased, showing that the measures China has implemented are proving to be effective.
However, it is still too early to relax vigilance against the virus. The situation here in China is still volatile.
From a personal perspective, while the days are not what they were, I feel confident that life in China will go back to normal. The government and people are working tirelessly to ensure this becomes a reality.
I would also like to thank China for all that they have done to ensure that our nationals remain in good health because health and safety is the number one priority.
I hope that all Grenadian nationals in China continue to follow the advised policies because while we are uncomfortable for a short while in the grand scheme of our life, things could be a lot worse. We must not panic because panic will cause irrationality.
So again thank you to China for all that you have done. Thank you nationals here in China for working with me to ensure you all remain safe – I must say we have some really strong individuals in our group.
I am hopeful that things will go back to normal here, and I continue to pray for the health of our nationals and the health of the Chinese people as they have been impacted the hardest.
Source: Ministry of Health, Grenada
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